Charles V of France
Charles V '''(4th July 1338 - 19th August 1373), commonly known as ''the Mad or '''''the Kind, was the third monarch of the House of Valois to reign as King of France and Navarre. Charles V was noted for his mental instability and believed insanity which he struggled with throughout his entire life. In his periods of lucidity, however, Charles was described as a kind and loving man. Throughout his life, he tried his best to contain his mental condition for the sake of those he loved and for the sake of the nation itself. Most of his reign was overseen by his wife, Therese, who governed the realm in his stead during his periods of mental instability. By 1367, she was essentially permanent regent of France, though the brief periods that Charles could compose himself sufficiently were ruled by Charles and Therese together. There was a certain love and care between the King and Queen, despite his mental state. Nonetheless, his reign was marked by conspiracy, plots and scheming amongst great names. History has generally taken an unfavourable view of Charles V due to his uncontrollable mental issues, though his contemporaries had known him as, "a good man, who bad things did happen to." '' Biography '''Birth and Early Years' Charles V was born on July 4th, 1338 at the Chateau de Vincennes to Prince Henri and Maria of Castille. He was their eldest surviving son, and so he became second-in-line to the throne'' immediately upon his birth. He was born during the reign of his grandfather, the celebrated King Philippe III, who was pleased with the birth. Prince Henri was reportedly overjoyed at the birth of a son and heir, though his mother had been hoping for a daughter for herself. It was said that the very day of his birth, he earned the scorn of his mother for being born the undesired gender to her. He was born strong and healthy, which was relieving for the family. Named Charles from birth, he was to be a prospective future King and so was supposed to have been given a good education, with even King Philippe intending on becoming involved personally in the upbringing of his grandson. Charles was brought up at Vincennes, alongside his cousin Louis and various other children of nobility brought to accompany the royal children, an older form of the tradition of ''enfants du honneur. ''It was said that from an early age, Charles' behaviour was strange and erratic in comparison to normal children. Even his father came to notice his strange and abnormal behaviour, including violent mood swings, delusion, paranoia and generally erratic behaviour. Prince Henri did everything in his power to seclude the young Charles from the outside world, hoping that seclusion and quiet would help contain Charles' mental state. There was also another side to the dilemma, with the King and Prince Henri believing that should rumours about the future King's mental state get out, there would be mass hysteria and plotting for future positions. Philippe III believed it was imperative to keep Charles' condition contained and controlled as best as was possible. One cause which has been suggested was the relatively close relation between his parents (first cousins, once removed), though this was not discussed as a contemporary issue as there were few ideas about the effects of inbreeding. '''Education' Charles, due to his relative mental incapacity, had an unorthodox upbringing. He was moved away from Vincennes and lived privately alongside a moderately sized household at a now ruined castle just outside of Paris. Despite initial plans for a grand and well-planned scheme of education, these all fell apart when it was discovered that Charles could most likely not have been able to handle the strain and the effort required of the planned scheme. His delicate and fragile mental state, as well as his general physical weakness meant that his father and his tutors did not want to overexert him.